Stevie Johnson and Joe McKnight Injury Updates

Buffalo Bills star wide receiver Stevie Johnson is definitely the focal point of the Bills passing game, as Ryan Fitzpatrick consistently looks his way in order to make something happen. The top red zone target has 35 catches for 416 yards, and the 26-year-old has still been able to amass four touchdown receptions despite rising TE Scott Chandler sapping some of those end zone targets this season.

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Johnson was only able to grab three catches against the Houston Texans, because he was slowed down by a thigh injury. That injury is now being classified as a contusion, and Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey said this, “He got hit in the thigh. He’s got a bad thigh bruise is what happened to him. He played through it and it depends on how much it swells and how much of it drains into the lower part of his leg. All of those kinds of things play into how he’ll be for this week.”

That’s terrible news for the Bills, who will be taking on an improved New England Patriots secondary that has had time to rest their injured players and is all the more talented from a personnel stand point with the addition of Aqib Talib,

New York Jets running back Joe McKnight is showing that he is all business in a crucial third year, as this is the formerly touted back’s make-or-break year in the NFL. Despite the Jets preference of Bilal Powell, McKnight has definitely shown that he deserves more looks. He’s been toughing it out with a high ankle sprain and even played against the Patriots in a game that he was almost certainly supposed to miss.

McKnight has only missed one game this season, and I don’t anticipate him missing Week 10’s game at all against the Seattle Seahawks tough run D. McKnight has averaged 6.6 yards per carry and deserves some more touches, especially now that he is healed up after the bye week. He is reportedly walking around without a limp, and I would hope the Jets realize that the former USC standout is light years ahead of Powell in terms of talent. Heck, he deserves to siphon some of Shonn Greene’s carries as well.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.